Adobe today announced the release of Photoshop Elements 8 for Mac, a new version of their consumer photo-editing software. According to the company, the software is loaded with new options to make extraordinary photos with ease. This includes all of the "intelligent" photo-editing options found in the Windows version. In addition to Photomerge Exposure, Recompose and Quick Fix previews, Mac users will have access to the following new tools:

- Photomerge Scene Cleaner for brushing away unwanted elements, such as tourists or cars, from a series of photos to create the perfect scene.

- The Smart Brush helps apply incredible effects to a specific area of a photo with a single stroke.

- Touch-Up brushes make common editing tasks quick, such as whitening teeth or making bright blue skies.

For media management, Mac users also have access to all the features in Adobe Bridge CS4 software, which provides quick organization with a custom viewing workspace and full-screen preview with one-click close-ups. Keyword tags and a variety of search options also make it easy to find photos quickly.

Adobe Photoshop Elements 8 for Mac will be available in October for $100. You can view all of the system requirements here.

Photomerge Scene Cleaner for brushing away unwanted elements, such as tourists or cars, from a series of photos to create the perfect scene.

They forgot to mention ex-husbands and wives.

I've never bought Photoshop or Elements but have only played around with the 30 day trials. Even though Elements is a stripped down it still has an abundance of features. Probably the best value in a consumer level product available. Adobe sure does a good job of keeping the features that average consumers wants without going overboard.

I might have been more excited about an Intel release of PSE (this is the first right?)

PSE 6.0 is a UB app.

My issue with PSE is its dark charcoal GUI, which I find obtrusive to my workflow. I believe PSE 7 for Windows had the option to change the appearance to the standard OS GUI. There's no screenshots or trial version yet for PSE 8.0 so I don't know if this feature is implemented._________________www.joerenzetti.com

I second the combination of iPhoto and Pixelmator as an alternative to PSE. I would also recommend Seashore as a free alternative to Pixelmator if you're tight on cash. I used it for ages before upgrading. I do prefer Pixelmator though. It's an awesome application for the money with way more features. I also appreciate the user interface and overall speed.